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WWE SmackDown picked up the pace as the Royal Rumble draws near. Roman Reigns was expected to come out early on the show to celebrate his record-breaking reign as the Universal Champion.
Sami Zayn delivered another hilarious episode of InZayn, but he could not get the better of Johnny Knoxville. Sheamus defeated Ricochet after a quick match that did not help either man get over.
Meanwhile, Sonya Deville let Charlotte Flair battle Naomi on the show only to hand her another loss. It looks like the rivalry between the two female superstars is far from over.
The Viking Raiders defeated Los Lotharios after delivering The Viking Experience. The two men are now looking to challenge The Usos for the SmackDown Tag Team Championships.
There weren't too many great matches on this week's show. However, many segments helped build towards the upcoming Premium Live Event.
With that said, check out the five things that WWE got right on this week's SmackDown.
#5. Roman Reigns celebrated his record-breaking title reign on WWE SmackDown
The Usos kicked off WWE SmackDown and introduced Roman Reigns on his 508th night as Universal Champion. The Tribal Chief came down to the ring and ordered Nashville to acknowledge him before kicking off his celebration.
A video package put over Reigns' accomplishments as the Universal Champion before he delivered a short promo. However, Seth Rollins soon came down to rain on his parade.
The Visionary mocked the champ and criticized him for sending The Usos to do his dirty work on RAW, referring to the twin's attack. Reigns questioned whether John Cena had written Rollins' promo.
Seth pitched an idea for a match between him and a partner of his choosing and The Usos. He said if his team won, The Usos would be barred from ringside at Royal Rumble.
Kevin Owens entered the arena to reveal himself as Rollins' partner. Reigns upped the ante: If The Usos won, Rollins would lose his title shot.
The opening segment of WWE SmackDown was fantastic and built towards the biggest match of the night. The arrival of two top stars from RAW allowed the creative team to lay the platform for a high-stakes contest.
The Universal Championship picture has been the best in WWE for over a year. The creative team continues to deliver some great segments and matches to build up the championship matches.
#4. Xia Li returned to save Aliyah on WWE SmackDown
Aliyah defeated Natalya in a record time on WWE SmackDown last week. The Queen of Harts battled the NXT export to exact revenge on this week’s show.
Natalya dominated the fight and punished her opponent early. She ignored the referee’s count and got disqualified from the contest. After the match, she continued to punish Aliyah and stomped away at her.
Right then, Xia Li entered, returning to the show after weeks. She fought Natalya off to save Aliyah from an intense beatdown.
Li had saved Naomi in the past but could not make a storyline out of it. Hopefully, this angle will lead to a rivalry between Li and The Queen of Harts.
#3. Big E backed up Kofi Kingston in the absence of King Woods
Kofi Kingston picked up a surprise loss to Madcap Moss last week. Former WWE Champion Big E came out to support his New Day teammate at ringside for the contest.
Kingston outsmarted Moss early on and did not let him use his strength. The latter fought back and delivered a spine buster to flatten Sir Kofi.
The former WWE Champion finally hit Trouble in Paradise to pick up the win on WWE SmackDown. After the match, Big E delivered a Big Ending to Moss.
It looks like Big E will be supporting Kofi in this rivalry in the absence of King Woods. It could lead to some excellent tag team matches on SmackDown before Woods makes a comeback and Big E goes back to perform on RAW exclusively.
#2. Kevin Owens and Seth Rollins lit up the night on WWE SmackDown
After a great opening segment on WWE SmackDown, Kevin Owens and Seth Rollins took on The Usos in the night's main event. The high-stakes match saw both teams fight for to gain an advantage for the upcoming Royal Rumble match.
The Usos dominated the action early and worked over Owens. Rollins came off a hot tag and took down the brothers. KO returned to the ring and delivered a fisherman buster from the top rope for a near-fall, only for Jey to break up the pin.
KO and Rollins were fantastic as a team in the contest and delivered some great moves. The two RAW Superstars were the highlight of WWE SmackDown on Friday night.
#1. Roman Reigns caused a disqualification to protect The Usos
Kevin Owens delivered a stunner to Jey Uso before tagging Seth Rollins back into the match. The Visionary prepared to hit The Stomp, but Roman Reigns stopped him in his tracks. He hit Rollins with a Superman Punch to cause a disqualification and awarded the win to KO and Rollins.
The Tribal Chief glared at Rollins as the show went off-air. The result means that The Usos will be banned from ringside for the Universal Championship match at Royal Rumble.
WWE did well to protect both teams in the finish. The Usos nearly failed Reigns, but it looks like The Tribal Chief may have written the final chapter of his title reign on his own. Not having Jimmy and Jey by his side could be the beginning of the end for Roman Reigns' supremacy.
